13th October 2020
business events news business events news Today’s issue of BEN Business Events News today has two pages of news.
cievents rebrand THE rebranding of Flight Centre’s cievents operation as FCM Meetings & Events (BEN breaking news) will “combine the unique expertise of cievents with FCM’s market-leading technology and extensive world-wide network,” the company promised last week. The disappearance of the cievents name marks the end of a 30-year era in the MICE market, and will also see the organisation’s long-time Global General Manager Natalie Simmons leave the brand this Fri. “We’ve taken the opportunity during this time to reflect on our business and make the changes we believe will provide our customers with an enhanced offering to fit the new meetings and events landscape,” according to a statement from Flight Centre. “So while our name will change from cievents to FCM Meetings & Events, many of the people and teams you know and trust remain,” with the company saying it was “business as usual” during the transition. A new leader for the business will be announced in the coming weeks.
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UNCERTAINTY KEY WORRY A NEW survey conducted by the Business Events Council of Australia (BECA) has found that the key barrier being faced by both owners and organisers of business events in 2021 is uncertainty regarding future outbreaks of COVID-19, and the corresponding tightening of travel and gathering restrictions. The poll also found significant misgivings around financial risk, which is “translating into Boards and decision-makers being hesitant to commit to holding an in-person business event”. Despite hopes of green shoots of recovery, other findings were that the majority of business events previously scheduled for the first three months of
2021 had already cancelled, postponed, or shifted to a 100% virtual format. The study was conducted in the light of the $50 million commitment to the business events sector by the Federal Government, with the grant scheme (BEN 15 Sep) confirmed in last week’s Budget. The lack of confidence was reflected right across to the end of 2021, with less than half of business event organisers expecting that events will be back to their traditional inperson format during the OctDec quarter of next year. The survey attracted 149 responses from BECA members and stakeholders including organisers and owners/hosts.
MEA mentors
MCEC top employer
MEETINGS and Events Australia (MEA) has launched its 2020/21 MEA Mentor Program, with the ongoing support of Tourism Australia. The national program will bring event professionals together from across the country to connect, share and assist in skills development and career progression. Mentees must be MEA members (either corporate or individual), and anyone interested in participating as either a mentor or mentee can send an email to admin@mea.org.au for further info on the program which runs Oct-Mar.
THE Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre (MCEC) has been recognised as an Employer of Choice for the fourth year running in the Australian Business Awards.
EEAA nominations THE Exhibition and Event Association of Australasia (EEAA) is calling for nominations to recognise the unsung heroes and young talent of the industry. The 2020 EEAA Awards for Excellence will this year be condensed into just two categories, the Richard Geddes Young Achiever Award & Scholarship, and the Unsung Hero Award, in light of the extraordinary COVID-19 circumstances. EEAA CEO Claudia Sagripanti said the awards would recognise individuals who had innovated, shown resilience, remained optimistic and garnered business confidence. The EAAA has partnered with ICC Sydney to host its AGM followed by an end of year reception on 08 Dec, where the awards will be presented in a hybrid huband spoke format - for the entry kit CLICK HERE.
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13th October 2020
PCOA All Black keynote
WITH so few festivals and events going ahead lately for health reasons, it stands to reason that any parade happening around the world grabs people’s attention. But when it happens in North Korea, it’s not just the rarity of public gatherings that’s noticeable, it’s the serious artillery that goes along with it. Dear leader Kim Jong-un marked the 75th anniversary of the Workers’ Party on the weekend by displaying the country’s arsenal of longrange ballistic missiles. The not-so-subtle display of power represented the country’s first parade in nearly two years and comes just weeks ahead of the highly charged US presidential election. According to North Korea’s state-run media, Kim noted he was grateful that none of his countrymen had so far contracted COVID-19. We’re not sure if the ballistic missiles have been used in the absence of a vaccine - either way it sounds like the treatment may be worse than the disease.
business events news www.businesseventsnews.com.au Business Events News is part of the Business Publishing Group family of publications. Business Events News is Australia’s newest online publication dedicated to the vibrant meetings, incentives, conferences and events sector.
FORMER New Zealand Rugby international player and world-renowed performance coach Gilbert Enoka has been announced as the keynote speaker for the upcoming Professional Conference Organisers Association (PCOA) annual conference. Enoka’s appearance is being sponsored by Tourism New Zealand, with the organisation’s Global Manager Business Events, Lisa Gardiner, saying “we see this as a great opportunity to provide inspiration to some of the major players in our industry, coaching them towards new ways of thinking and a winning future”. The 13th annual PCOA Hybrid Conference & Virtual Exhibition takes place 07-08 Dec, with the appropriate theme of “Flexibility is the future” - more details at pcoaconference.com.au.
Luxperience today THE first day of Luxperience 2020 kicks off this morning, with an education program that is free to attend for all travel trade professionals. Proceedings for the three-day virtual event and exhibition include a “Future of Trans-Tasman Tourism Panel” with leaders from Tourism Australia and Tourism NZ, virtual workshops, webinars broadcast live each day and pre-scheduled online appointments between buyers and exhibitors - see luxperience.com.au.
EDITORIAL Editor in Chief and Publisher – Bruce Piper Contributors – Jasmine Hanna, Adam Bishop, Nicholas O’Donoghue, Myles Stedman info@businesseventsnews.com.au
©Tourism Australia
CWT platform CWT Meetings & Events has launched CWT Easy Meetings, a direct-booking platform for small meetings. The new portal gives organisers access to over 250,000 meeting rooms in both chain and independent hotels, as well as unique venues and event spaces in more than 90 countries. CWT Meetings & Events MD Chris Bowen said with restrictions on group sizes post-COVID it was expected that demand for small meetings would increase. The standard version of the platform, ideal for one-off meetings, is free & live now at cwteasymeetings.com.
NSW event scholarships THE NSW Government has announced the recipients of 12 Meetings & Events Australia (MEA) Diploma of Event Management Scholarships, which are being funded as part of its $6m Regional Conferencing Strategy and Action Plan. The initiative, in partnership with MEA, aims to help upskill and create more job opportunities for people living in regional communities across the state. NSW Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney Stuart Ayres said “the business events sector presents a major opportunity for the visitor economy of regional NSW, particularly as we steer our path to recovery”.
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ADVERTISING AND MARKETING Sean Harrigan, Hoda Alzubaidi advertising@businesseventsnews.com.au BUSINESS MANAGER Jenny Piper accounts@businesseventsnews.com.au
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Business Events News is a publication of Business Events News Pty Ltd ABN 80 153 775 449. All content is fully protected by copyright. Please obtain written permission to reproduce any material. While every care has been taken in preparation of the newsletter no liability can be accepted for errors or omissions. BEN takes no responsibility for the opinions of its contributors/ columnists. Information is published in good faith to stimulate independent investigation of the matters canvassed. Responsibility for editorial comment is taken by Bruce Piper.
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